Minggu, 20 Oktober 2013

Insights into the Personalities of Conspiracy Theorists

Psychologists find that distrust of authority and low agreeableness are
among factors underlying the willingness to believe. Conspiracy theories and
scientific theories attempt to explain the world around us. Both apply a filter
of logic to the complexity of the universe, thereby transforming randomness
into reason. Yet these two theoretical breeds differ in important ways.

Scientific theories, by definition, must be falsifiable. That is, they must
make reliable predictions about the world; and if those predictions turn out to
be incorrect, the theory can be declared false. Conspiracy theories, on the
other hand, are tough to disprove. Their proponents can make the theories
increasingly elaborate to accommodate new observations; and, ultimately, any
information contradicting a conspiracy theory can be answered with, “Well sure,
that’s what they want you to think.”

Despite their unfalsifiable nature, conspiracy theories attract significant
followings. Not all theorists, it seems, hold their “truths” to the standards
of conventional science. And scientists are beginning to understand the types
of personalities that buy into more extreme and unlikely theories. Research
reveals that conspiracy theorists tend to share a core set of traits,
regardless of their conspiracy of choice.